Author: claimsbot

1. A method for treating a bacterial infection in a patient, the method comprising the step of administering a therapeutically effective amount of an engineered bacteriocin designed to have high specific activity against the bacterial infection to the patient so that the bacterial infection is suppressed or cured and the rate of resistance to the engineered bacteriocin in the patient is decreased.
2. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the bacteriocin is a bacteriocin produced by any Gram-negative bacteria.
3. A method as set forth in claim 2 wherein the bacteriocin is produced from the group of colicins consisting of: A, B, D, DF13, E1-E9, EL12, G, H, Ia, Ib, K, L, M, N, S1, S4, U, Y, 5, 7, 10, 28b, Hu194, and J.
4. A method as set forth in claim 2 wherein the bacteriocin is produced from a pyocin selected from the group of pyocins consisting of: S1, S2, S3, S5, AP41, and C.
5. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the bacteriocin is produced from a eubacteria.
6. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the bacteriocin is produced from an archaebacteria.
7. A method as set forth in claim 2 wherein the bacteriocin is a combination of bacteriocins produced by any Gram-negative bacteria.
8. A method as set forth in claim 1 including the step of delivering the therapeutically effective amount of the bacteriocin using a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
9. A method as set forth in claim 6 wherein the pharmaceutically acceptable carrier is selected from the group consisting of: a pill, an injectable patch, a cream, a liquid, a paste, a gel, and a suppository.
10. A method as set forth in claim 7 wherein the cream includes a jelly base.
11. A method as set forth in claim 1 including the step of coating at least a portion of a catheter with the therapeutically effective amount of the bacteriocin.
12. A method as set forth in claim 1 including the step of incorporating the therapeutically effective amount of the bacteriocin into a biologically compatible prosthetic device.
13. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the bacterial infection is a gastrointestinal infection.
14. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the bacterial infection is a urogenital infection.
15. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the bacterial infection is a skin infection.
16. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the bacterial infection is a respiratory infection.
17. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the patient is a mammal.
18. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the bacteriocin has a high specific activity against pathogenic Salmonella typhimurium.
19. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the bacteriocin has a high specific activity against pathogenic Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
20. A method for treating a urinary tract infection in a patient, the method comprising the step of administering a therapeutically effective amount of an engineered bacteriocin designed to have specific activity against the urinary tract infection to the patient so that the urinary tract infection in the patient is suppressed or cured and the rate of resistance to the engineered bacteriocin in the patient is decreased.
21. A method as set forth in claim 20 wherein the bacteriocin is a bacteriocin produced by any Gram-negative bacteria.
22. A method as set forth in claim 21 wherein the bacteriocin is produced from a colicin selected from the group of colicins consisting of: A, B, D, DF13, E1-E9, EL12, G, H, Ia, Ib, K, L, M, N, S1, S4, U, Y, 5, 7, 10, 28b, Hu194, and J.
23. A method as set forth in claim 21 wherein the bacteriocin is produced from a pyocin selected from the group of pyocins consisting of: S1, S2, S3, S5, AP41, and C.
24. A method as set forth in claim 20 wherein the bacteriocin is produced from a eubacteria.
25. A method as set forth in claim 20 wherein the bacteriocin is produced from an archaebacteria.
26. A method as set forth in claim 21 wherein the bacteriocin is a combination of bacteriocins produced by any Gram-negative bacteria.
27. A method as set forth in claim 20 including the step of delivering the therapeutically effective amount of the bacteriocin using a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
28. A method as set forth in claim 27 wherein the carrier is selected from the group consisting of: a pill, an injectable patch, a cream, a liquid, a paste, a gel, and a suppository.
29. A method as set forth in claim 28 wherein the cream includes a jelly base.
30. A method as set forth in claim 20 wherein the bacteriocin has a high specific activity against uropathogenic E. coli.
31. A method as set forth in claim 20 including the step of coating at least a portion of a catheter with the therapeutically effective amount of the bacteriocin.
32. A method as set forth in claim 20 including the step of incorporating the therapeutically effective amount of the bacteriocin into a biologically compatible prosthetic device.
33. A method as set forth in claim 20 wherein the patient is a mammal.
34. A method for treating a bacterial infection in a patient, the method comprising the step of administering a therapeutically effective amount of a combination of naturally occurring bacteriocins each having specific activity against the bacterial infection to the patient so that the bacterial infection is suppressed or cured and the rate of resistance to the combination of naturally occurring bacteriocins in the patient is decreased.
35. A method as set forth in claim 34 wherein the combination of bacteriocins is produced from a combination of naturally occurring colicins.
36. A method as set forth in claim 34 wherein the combination of bacteriocins is produced from a combination of naturally occurring eubacteria.
38. A method as set forth in claim 34 wherein the combination of bacteriocins is produced from a combination of naturally occurring archaebacteria.
39. A method as set forth in claim 34 including the step of delivering the therapeutically effective amount of bacteriocin to the patient using a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
40. A method as set forth in claim 34 including the step of coating at least a portion of a catheter with the therapeutically effective amount of the bacteriocin.
41. A method as set forth in claim 34 including the step of incorporating the therapeutically effective amount of the bacteriocin into a biologically compatible prosthetic device.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. An apparatus for sectioning an electric energy flow in one or more conductors of an electric energy generating plant, comprising:
a control unit;
a pneumatic circuit controlled by said control unit; and
a plurality of pneumatic remote switches fed by said pneumatic circuit; and
said pneumatic remote switches intercepting conductors of an electric energy generating plant;
said pneumatic remote switches being of the normally open type, the electrical contacts only being closed when the pneumatic circuit is under pressure;
said pneumatic remote switches further comprising at least a covering element made from a tearable plastic material, the tearing of which places the pneumatic circuit in communication with the outside environment and releases pressure of the pneumatic circuit.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said pneumatic circuit comprises pipes made from plastic material.
3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each pneumatic remote switch comprises a casing made from plastic material, which defines a first chamber in communication with the pneumatic circuit through an input;
said pneumatic remote switch defining an electrical contact that is only closed when said first chamber is under pressure.
4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said pneumatic remote switch comprises two connectors thereinside, arranged to establish the electrical contact, and a spring mechanism arranged to space apart said connectors, opening the electrical contact when there pressure fails inside the first chamber, due to interruption of power supply or tearing of one of said covering elements made from plastic material.
5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit controls a control valve that connects said pneumatic circuit to a compressed air source.
6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said control unit comprises one or more manostats intended to control the pressure conditions of the compressed air source andor of the pneumatic circuit.
7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said control unit comprises one or more fire detecting sensors.
8. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said control unit comprises timers for automatically switching on and off.
9. An electric energy generating plant comprising a plurality of electrical generators connected in series and a apparatus for sectioning an electric energy flow according to claim 1, the pneumatic remote switches of said apparatus intercepting at least one conductor of said series of electrical generators.
10. The electric energy generating plant according to claim 9, wherein said pneumatic remote switches intercept the conductors that connect an electrical generator to the subsequent electrical generator of the series.
11. The electric energy generating plant according to claim 9, wherein at least one pneumatic remote switch intercepts a conductor that connects the series of electrical generators to an external network.
12. The electric energy generating plant according to claim 9, wherein said electrical generators are photovoltaic panels.

1. A thin-film capacitor comprising:
a base electrode;
two or more dielectric layers laminated on the base electrode; and
an electrode containing Ni as a principal component and laminated between the dielectric layers, wherein
the electrode has through holes that run in a lamination direction,
a surface area of at least some of the through holes is in a range of 0.19 \u03bcm2 to 7.0 \u03bcm2,
a ratio of the surface area of the through holes to a surface area of an entire main surface of the electrode in which the through holes are formed is in a range of 0.05% to 5%, and
the through holes are internally hollow and both ends of the through holes are covered with the dielectric layers.
2. The thin-film capacitor according to claim 1, wherein the surface areas of all the through holes are in the range of 0.19 \u03bcm2 to 7.0 \u03bcm2.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. Method for determining geometrical-optical aberrations up to and including 3rd order in particle-optical, probe-forming systems, in particular scanning electron microscopes, comprising an essentially punctiform source, which emits the particles, lenses for influencing the particle beam, an object, which is imaged by the particles, and a detector for registering the particles or imaging the object,
the object (3) being imaged by means of a particle beam focussed on the object (3), and the image (6) being recorded,
the process being repeated by means of an overfocussed and an overfocussed beam, which produce the images (6a) (overfocussed) and (6b) (underfocussed),
the images (6, 6a, 6b) being transformed in Fourier space,
the transformation of the overfocussed image (7a) being divided by that of the transformed focussed image (7), and the quotient (8) being obtained, and
the transformation of the underfocussed image (7b) being divided by that of the transformed focussed image (7) and the quotient (8a) being obtained, characterised in that
both quotients are reverse transformed and thereby the brightness profiles of the probes (5, 5a), that is to say of the images of the source in overfocus and underfocus, are determined,
the asymmetry (AS) of the profiles (9, 9a) with respect to the centre, the width (BR) of the profiles (9, 9a), in particular the half-value width, andor the curvature (KR) of the profiles (9, 9a) in the centre are determined,
the differences of the profiles (9, 9a) of the probes (5, 5a) with respect to these parameters are used to determine the image aberrations.
2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the Fourier transformation andor the reverse transformation is obtained by mathematical andor optical means, preferably by generating the diffraction pattern.
3. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the particle beam is influenced with electrical andor magnetic multipoles.
4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the width of the defocussed image (5, 5a) of the source (1) is at least ten times greater than the width of the focussed image of the source (1) or of the source (1) itself.
5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that, sections are taken at angular intervals, in particular every 15 degrees, through the probe profiles in overfocus and underfocus, and the aforementioned parameters are determined for each section.
6. Method according to claim 5, characterised in that, for determining the image aberration of the 2nd order axial coma, the mean values of the asymmetries (AS) of the sections through the probes in overfocus and underfocus in dependence on the section angles w are formed, and the magnitude and orientation of the one-fold components of these mean values are determined, preferably by Fourier analysis with respect to the section angle w.
7. Method according to claim 5, characterised in that, for determining the image aberration of the three-fold 2nd order astigmatism, the mean values of the asymmetries (AS) of the sections through the probes in overfocus and underfocus in dependence on the section angle w are formed, and the magnitude and orientation of these mean values are determined, preferably by Fourier analysis over the section angle w.
8. Method according to claim 5, characterised in that, for determining the defocussing, the difference between the widths (BR) of the sections through the probes in overfocus and underfocus in dependence on the section angle w is formed, and the magnitude of the zero-fold component of these differences are determined preferably by Fourier analysis over the section angle w.
9. Method according to claim 5, characterised in that, for determining the two-fold 1st order astigmatism, the difference between the widths (BR) of the sections through the probes in overfocus and underfocus in dependence on the section angle w is formed, and the magnitude of the two-fold component of this difference is determined, preferably by Fourier analysis over the section angle w.
10. Method according to claim 5, characterised in that, for determining the 3rd order spherical aberration, the difference between the curvature KR of the sections through the probes in overfocus and underfocus is formed in dependence on the section angle w and the magnitude of the zero-fold component of these differences is determined, preferably by Fourier analysis over the section angle w.
11. Method according to claim 5, characterised in that, for determining the 3rd order stellar aberration, the difference between the curvature KR of the sections through the probes in overfocus and underfocus is formed in dependence on the section angle w, and the magnitude of the two-fold component of these difference is determined, preferably by Fourier analysis over the section angle w.
12. Method according to claim 5, characterised in that, for determining the four-fold 3rd order astigmatism, the difference between the curvature KR of the sections through the probes in overfocus and underfocus in dependence on the section angles w is formed, and the magnitude of the two-fold component of these difference is determined, preferably by Fourier analysis over the section angle w.
13. Method according to claim 10, characterised in that, for determining the 3rd order spherical aberration, instead of the difference in curvature (KR), the difference of a linear combination of curvature (KR) and width (BR) is used in the form
*BR*KR
and being determined empirically and representing the respective mean value with respect to the section angle w.